Adrien Rabiot leaning towards staying at PSG after all

PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season, but he has made it clear to individuals inside the club’s training ground that his preference is to remain at the club and sign a new deal, according to L’Équipe.

There are multiple reasons for this:

1 | His obvious attachment to PSG, having grown up under the QSI regime and the club’s youth academy with the same youth coaches as Kimpembe, Coman and M.Dembélé.

2 | His relationship with a variety of PSG staff is excellent. Rabiot feels like the child of PSG.

3 | He has a very strong base of friends and family in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where he currently resides.

4 | Adrien Rabiot believes that he can genuinely make improvements to his game under the tutelage of PSG boss Thomas Tuchel.

The caveat is however his financial compensation. He currently earns €250k a month gross, not much for a player who is now PSG’s second most important midfielder. Especially when you consider that Rabiot is now earning less than PSG’s recent summer recruit, German youngster and central defender Thilo Kehrer, who has a much less impressive CV, who is earning €250k a month after tax.

The discussions between the player’s camp and the club have been regular in recent months. Rabiot’s camp, with the knowledge that they are in a strong position, have rejected multiple different proposals.

The last time the player signed a new deal with PSG, Adrien’s mother and agent Veronique Rabiot, managed to make Les Parisiens offer her son a €4m signing bonus. This time, the newspaper speculates, she is looking to pull off the same trick but see the number multiplied by 2.

In order to satisfy Rabiot, PSG will have to make him one of the top 5 highest paid players at the club. On the 1st of January, the Frenchman will be free to negotiate with and sign for any club of his choosing.

Right up until the end of the summer transfer window, Rabiot’s camp was convinced that Barcelona’s intense interest would translate into a sizeable, concrete offer, but it never did.

PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi views this specific contract situation as symbolic for the club, with a desire for the best French players to be playing for Les Parisiens at the top of his priority list.

At the moment, cautious optimism for PSG and Rabiot to continue their adventure together.